The New York Times posted an quick interview with Christiane Amanpour including 34 questions about her life and work. Click here for the article and more pictures. Here's an excerpt:
Christiane Amanpour
Age: 52
Occupation: Journalist
Current Project: "Amanpour," a weekly program on CNN that investigates international news stories.1. Most Amiable Dictator: Slobodan Milosevic. He would slap you on the back, offer you a drink. He tried to be charming. But many of them do. You have to be on your guard.
2. Worst of War-Zone Living: Frivolously trying to keep clean and keep a sense of personal dignity amid massive deprivation.
3. Pleasure in War Reporting: A lot of people say that what gets war correspondents off is the danger; I get more joy in having beaten those who would destroy. Also, feeling part of a small community of people who are going through what we are going through and doing something worthwhile.
4. Fan Mail: People send me beautiful things from around the world. I’m looking right now at a little mother-of-pearl-engraved penholder. It says, “CNN Christiane Amanpour.” It must have come from Iran, because it has a symbol of Zoroastrianism on it.
5. Morning Routine: I don’t sleep well, but I finally get out of bed at 7 a.m. In one hour I get my son and myself up and ready. I listen to NPR, and I keep turning it on and off, depending on what is appropriate for my son. I walk out the door at 8 a.m.
6. Packing for Work: I take the bare necessities. I have developed my own everyday uniform, which makes it easier for me to get up and get to work. In Bosnia, I wore the same parka. It was olive green with a fake-fur hood, and I became known for it.
7. Always on Her: Gold bracelets, bangles from Iran and other parts of the Middle East.
8. Talent She Covets: I wish I was really funny and much quicker.
9. Favorite Place in the Apartment: The dining room, because it has a great view and it gets a huge amount of sun.
10. Hobby: Horse riding. One of my early mentors was my riding teacher in Iran. He was a former Iranian Army colonel. I learned to ride competitively. I raced in Iran. It gave me the physical stamina and courage I need to do my work.
11. Favorite Riding Item: My hard hat. My husband kitted me out for riding a few years ago. For a while, I didn’t have the right gear. Now I do. It’s great.
12. Favorite Item in the Apartment: A massive painting that I got in Iran, a few years ago, by Farideh Lashai, a friend who is also Iran’s pre-eminent abstract-expressionist painter. It gives me joy every time I walk in my door.
13. Old Item She Can’t Throw Out: My current laptop, which is a 2005 Sony Vaio. I am slow to change technologically.
14. How She Tells Her Son She’s Going to War: I didn’t tell him when he was little. I just said, “Mommy is going to work.” It gets more difficult as he gets older. He’s 9 now, but I never let him watch television news, so he isn’t aware of all the implications.
3 comments:
Very interesting article about an interesting woman.
Amanpour has more than one home. The article doesn't say whether this is in NYC,DC or London.
It's amazing how many journalists get their news from Jon Stewart and Colbert.
The apartment in the article is in NYC. It's in small print above the article but in the caption for the picture they clarify that the apartment they show overlooks Central Park.
The painting she received from an Iranian a few years ago looks a lot like the World Trade Center towers just before they collapsed. An unsettling work.
Post a Comment